


Unconventional.

by epistretes



Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Arranged Marriage, F/F, F/M, female cousland gives no fucks, making a new family, reference to cousland origin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-10
Updated: 2014-08-10
Packaged: 2018-02-12 13:52:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2112402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/epistretes/pseuds/epistretes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elissa Cousland never did do what was expected for a woman of her rank.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unconventional.

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes after a holiday/writing break you just need to write whatever pops in to your head. This is that.  
> I hope you enjoy it.

The Hero of Ferelden was more than used to taking people by surprise. When she was born, she had surprised the entirety of Highever, they had all believed her to be a second son. When she was five she had more than surprised her brother when he had been teasing her and she stuck him with a hatpin the same way he had stuck a straw dummy with a blunted sword that morning.

When she was ten she had surprised no one, however, when she threw her embroidery from the window in a fit of temper and demanded to be taught how to wield a weapon. Teyrna Eleanor had surprised on that occasion (and offended the sensibilities of many other ladies of the nobility but as they were beneath her in rank they confined it to whispers behind her uncaring back) by allowing and even encouraging it.

She had surprised the master-at-arms by being such a natural to the world of weaponry and fighting that she soon outstripped all of those in her age group and sent many a snickering male to his face in some dirt. No matter what she wielded, be it longsword alone or with a stiletto or dirk, be it a long or short bow, be it a heavy mace (even though she had needed to build up some muscle to make the hits hurt), polearms or throwing knives, she had excelled at it.

She had surprised herself when, aged sixteen, she stole behind a screening wall with Ser Gilmore before telling him that while she was sensible of his helping her out, she was pretty sure now that he was not the one for her. She had surprised him more when he saw her disappearing in to her rooms with ladies maids and occasionally a female servant.  
She surprised the ladies of the nobility by refusing the hands of any of the sons that were offered to her as a suitor and then offended their sensibilities further when she found she would rather be rolling around in the grass with her new Mabari warhound that she promptly named Bryce, for her father, than considering courting their sons.

Bryce Cousland, the Teyrn of Highever, the one whom had blood allowed it would have suited the throne much better than the current incumbent. King Maric had been lost at sea and a month later, the new King Cailan wedded Anora Mac Tir – the only other Teryn’s daughter in all of Ferelden. Some thought it a slight towards Elissa Cousland but she saw it the opposite, she did not wish to marry Cailan Theirin and when it was vaguely mentioned between her father and his, Bryce had made it clear that while he was sensible of the honour of such a proposal, that he could not bring it before his daughter in fear of his fierce pup offending the prince by choosing warfare over queenship. King Maric had found it very diverting and many blushes were spared. Elissa never even met Cailan until she had been bound for Ostagar and the war against the darkspawn.

Then, the world surprised her in the worst possible way, she grieved for her family, each one. Even Oriana, with whom she had rarely seen eye-to-eye after her sister-in-law had found her abed with one of the serving girls and ranted for weeks in hissed whispers about propriety and shame of the Cousland line. She had still loved her, loved Oren, loved her mother and father and seen many of her friends and servants slaughtered most cruelly.

She remembered that night with nothing but pain. She had been abed with Iona, Lady Landra’s lady-in-waiting. The night had started off well, even though she had had to part with Fergus for indeterminate time and knowing she would have the more painful goodbye to her father for the same, she had had Iona’s soft skin and caress to console her.  
Then her world ended and a whole new world began.

She tried to not dwell on the past and when she had become a Grey Warden, when she had taken part of the Joining and tainted her blood forever, she had been sent on a quest. She might have had the Blight to battle, but it was the drive to find and be the cause of Howe’s last choking breath that sustained her. At least she had, until Lothering.

She knew that Alistair was developing somewhat of an attachment to her, especially when he had such apparently disagreeable company in Morrigan. Elissa did not see the issue, she _liked_ Morrigan’s wit, but each to their own and it was rarely directed at her. As long as he was on-side, he seemed enough of a gentleman to not try to press a suit on her. More gentle than a “true” gentleman, she thought bitterly of some of the suitors of her previous life’s reactions to her turning them down.

Lothering changed her forever, a simple innocent trip to the local watering house for a refreshment had caused it. Fighting with Loghain’s men had called a young Orlesian lay-sister’s attention to them and she had taken the girl on. It soon paid off as they used her connections to add a powerful Qunari to their group, to whom fell the guard of Morrigan even if the witch disliked the idea. Elissa silenced her by reminding that if the mage was sliced to ribbons then they were no use to anyone and that she did not feel like explaining to Flemeth why her daughter was dead.

As the days wore on, the girl Leliana proved handy with a pair of knives or a bow and she almost rivalled Elissa’s own skill with lock picks. The two of them would sit around the campfire at night, rinsing the blood and guts from their armour and their hair while the Orlesian bard told tales. It was not long before they seemed bosom buddies with one another and Elissa winkled her secrets from her quickly. They added to their group as they travelled, an old mage, an Antivan assassin, a golem and a drunken dwarf but even though she spoke with all of her companions, it was with Leliana she was most oft to be found.

Their first kiss was sweet, tender and full of everything Elissa had left in her to give. Leliana’s embrace seemed to give her new life and while she would never forget her old one or her loved ones, Leliana was somewhat of a balm to the pain. To say that Alistair was shocked upon seeing their lips come together would be redundant and as Elissa led Leliana to her tent, she left Zevran and Oghren to explain that the birds sometimes preferred other birds to the bees. The two girls chuckled for a moment over the poor Chantry virgin’s likely reaction but then it was forgot as they fell upon the furs on the hard ground, not caring about anything but the other.

It was apparently assumed when Elissa strode in to the Landsmeet with Alistair at her side that she would depose Queen Anora along with her Regent and it was therefore of a shock to the nobility gathered when she pressed their hands together and withdrew. She felt bad putting Alistair in to a loveless marriage, but she did whisper to him that he could always find serving girls to bed if he so chose, his brother had done so, after all.

She sank her blade in to the skull of the Archdemon and released Ferelden and the whole of Thedas from the Blight and became the Hero of Ferelden. She did not care. Her brother was found and restored to his birthright, Arl Howe was dead by her own hand and his family stripped of everything except their lives, which she felt left them better off than those they had sinned against.

She decided to remain in the capital for a while at King Alistair’s urging and it was then that she caused the greatest surprise of her life. Choosing to walk with Leliana, Zevran and Bryce, all of whom were living in the currently vacant Arl of Denerim’s estate at the King and Queen’s urging (she was sure they would name her the new Arl of Denerim in time, but she had not yet the heart to tell them to sod off), they bent their steps to the Alienage. She had expressed a desire of speaking again with Shianni when she stopped suddenly, her words dying on her lips.

Her companions seemed confused as Elissa stared openly at a little girl, looking half-starved on the side of the street.

“Are you Amethyne?” she asked as she came near and bent down a little so that the girl would not be too frightened. She nodded.

“I’m waiting for my Mama.”

“Oh, my darling girl. I’m Elissa, I’m a friend of your Mama’s. She asked me to look after you, she is very sorry that she cannot come herself. Who are you staying with at the moment? I would like to thank them for looking after you until I could get here.”

“I was at the orphanage but I ran away when the bad men came,” she replied with her wide, expressive eyes raking over Elissa’s face. “Where is my Mama?”

“Your Mama was at Highever, child,” she heard Leliana’s sharp intake of breath behind her and then quiet, urgent whisper to Zevran. “She was with her mistress, Lady Landra, do you remember her?” Amethyne nodded. “Lady Landra was a friend of my mother’s.”

“The guard said Lady Landra was gone to the Maker when I asked him,” the child told her, hope and grief warring on her face.

“She has, so did your mother.” The girl began to cry silent tears and Elissa held out a gentle hand to her.

“I promise you, Amethyne, I will take care of you as your Mama wanted. I won’t ever let anyone hurt you.”

“You’re the lady who came in and fought the bad, smelly things.” Amethyne told her and Elissa nodded. “I believe you. My Mama and Papa are together again.”

“They are. If you want to come with me, I promise I will look after you.” The girl responded by taking her hand.

The surprise and scandal Lady Elissa Cousland caused in one week of refusing the Arling of Denerim, of adopting an orphan elf girl, refusing the hand of Bann Ceorlic’s son and declaring her lover to be an Orlesian peasant woman and living with her and another elf was delightful.

She and her little family turned their back on Denerim, a drunken dwarf waddling behind them yelling for them to wait up as all entertainment left the capital with them going.

Elissa was finally happy and as she bent her feet towards Highever and her brother, the only thing that could make it better would have been if her mother and father were also there awaiting her.


End file.
